The Best Art Supplies in 2023, From Sketchbooks to Pastels

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As someone who's been drawing since I could hold a crayon, I've been through my fair share of graphite pencils, sketchbooks, and paint sets. I've tried dozens of different brands over the years, and some are still my favorites.

Whether you've been painting for years, are going off to art school soon, or just want to get into drawing for the first time, you need quality art supplies. And while professional artists may use pricey supplies to create their masterpieces, you don't necessarily have to shell out on the fanciest pastels or canvas.

In fact, there are plenty of. more affordable options that can serve you just as well, if you know how to use them to your advantage. To help, we rounded up many of the basic art supplies you need in your studio in one handy guide. 

Learn more about how Insider Reviews reviews and researches hobby-related products.

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Here are the best art supplies you can buy:

Best sketchbooks: Strathmore Sketchbooks - See at Amazon
Strathmore makes excellent sketchbooks with all kinds of paper, including drawing, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, and more.

Best graphite pencils: Staedtler Pencil Mars Lumograph 12-Piece Set - See at Amazon
Staedtler comes with all the graphite pencils you need to draw like a pro.

Best charcoal: Cretacolor Charcoal Drawing Set - See at Blick
The Cretacolor Charcoal Drawing Set has every kind of charcoal you need to create beautiful work.

Best colored pencils: Prismacolor Quality Art Set - See at Amazon
Prismacolor Quality Art Set includes 48 colored pencils that are rich in color.

Best erasers: Prismacolor Premier Kneaded, ArtGum, and Plastic Erasers - See at Blick
Premier will erase any mistake you make.

Best pastels: Sennelier - See at Amazon
Sennelier makes the absolute best oil and soft pastels, but Van Gogh, Koh-i-noor, and Prismacolor are fine alternatives.

Best watercolors: Winsor & Newton - See at Amazon
Winsor & Newton makes wonderful watercolor paints and sets, while Derwent makes excellent watercolor pencils.

Best acrylic paints: Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Tube 12-Piece Set - See at Amazon
The Winsor & Newton 2190517 Galeria Acrylic Paint 10 Tube Set are great starter kits for painting.

Best oil paints: Winsor & Newton - See at Blick
Oil paints represent very different price points to satisfy any budget.

Best paintbrushes: Da Vinci - See at Blick
Da Vinci makes great brushes for watercolor, acrylic, and oil painting.

Best canvas: Fredrix - See at Blick
Fredrix makes good canvas, and it's almost always cheaper to stretch your own canvas than to buy pre-made ones.

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